Research & Development Co-op

The Research & Development Co-Op is a six-month experience designed to help college students develop leadership, technical, and communication skills through practical business experience and ongoing training, development, coaching and mentorship. This role will enable the student to have real-life work application of concepts and theories learned in the classroom. This is a full-time (40 hours per week) assignment. We plan to hire multiple Co-Op students across several functional roles within Research & Development. Each Co-Op will be assigned to a single function with a specific project for the 6-month Co-Op term, assignment area will be matched to business needs. Below are examples of the various functional roles for which Co-Op positions may be available:

Product and Process Development: Develop new formula or scale-up processes, optimize existing formula/process, and/or perform laboratory testing and evaluations of these formulas.  

Note: Any R&D roles for Jan-June 2026 co-op term will be non-lab-based research R&D roles.  

Upstream Innovation: Develop the future of consumer research. Engage in activities such as market research, literature searches and industry research to inform downstream innovation.  

Foundational Biology, Measurement Science and Product Efficacy Testing: Utilizing biochemistry, optics, and cell biology to develop and utilize new methods for product efficacy and new claim validation 

Consumer & Sensory Science, Clinical Testing and Technology Development: Interdisciplinary roles connecting various aspects of product science, consumer psychology and perception, computational analysis and modeling, data management, market research, etc. 
 

Key Responsibilities

• Ownership of individual project(s) with a strategic business impact 
• Gain exposure to trends in the consumer industry, as well as in the literature/research field
• Develop working relationships with cross-functional teams, such as Marketing, Project Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, etc. 
• Work on innovative and scientific solutions to issues that arise within product development, product innovation, package development, product performance
• Follow standard operating procedures, be trained on the operation of state-of-art instruments, participate in experiment design, carry out studies as planned, troubleshoot abnormalities, summarize results, and present the data in the format of official reports internally, and/or conference presentations.
• Adhere to current GxP practices (e.g. GMP, GDP, GLP)
   

What we are looking for

Required Qualifications

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. and must not require sponsorship for employment visa status now or in the future (e.g. H1-B status)
• Actively enrolled in an accredited university through the duration of co-op assignment pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree
• Ability to commit to 6-month duration (January 2026 to June 2026) 40 hours per week (Monday – Friday) for the length of the assignment
• Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA
• Proficient in Windows software applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
• Ability to provide their own transportation between home and work office location

Desired Qualifications

• Degree focused in: Engineering (Chemical, Biomedical, Packaging, Mechanical, Materials, etc.), Science (Biology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Personal Care, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Consumer & Sensory Science, Food Science, etc.)
• Strong analytical, organizational and communication skills
• Passionate or interested in the consumer industry
• Displays willingness to learn, strong problem-solving skills and capable of working in a fast-paced environment